Who was Manohar Joshi, the former Maharashtra CM who passed away at 86?

Former Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi passed away on Friday (Feb 23) at around 3 am due to age-related health complications. Joshi served as Maharashtra chief minister from 1995 to 1999.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi passed away on Friday (Feb 23) at around 3 am due to age-related health complications. He was 86. Joshi was admitted to Mahim’s PD Hinduja Hospital following a cardiac arrest on Wednesday. 

"Joshi was admitted on 21st February. He suffered a cardiac event and is severely ill. He is currently in the ICU under close observation and receiving best of medical care," the statement from Hinduja Hospital said.

Chief Minister Joshi was the first leader of the Shiv Sena to hold the highest office in the state since the party's division in 1995 and 1999.

Joshi, who was born in Mahad, Maharashtra, on December 2, 1937, graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Mumbai's esteemed Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI).

He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the start of his political career and afterward joined the Shiv Sena. Joshi became a prominent Shiv Sena leader in the 1980s, renowned for his ability to organise people and establish connections at the local level.

The biggest political achievement of Manohar Joshi was his appointment as Maharashtra's chief minister in 1995. This was the first time the Shiv Sena had come to power in the state when he succeeded Indian National Congress leader Sharad Pawar. He was also elected as a Member of Parliament and was the Lok Sabha Speaker from 2002 to 2004 when the Vajpayee government was in power.

Joshi became the CM in 1995 when the coalition of Shiv Sena and BJP came to power in Maharashtra.